On My Own
by RacRules
Summary: Princess and the Frog oneshot. Naveen married Charlotte in exchange for Tiana getting her restaurant, so now she walks the streets of New Orleans, all alone. Song-fic of the song On My Own from Les Miserables.


This story is based off the song "On My Own," about what Tiana's life would be like if Naveen had made the deal with Charlotte to marry her in exchange with Tiana getting her restaurant. Its the second in my series of Princess and the Frog song fics, Spoilers and depressing-ness (angst) ahead. This is the first real song-fic I've done, so I hope it works.

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_On my own pretending he's beside me, all alone I walk with him till morning._

Tiana walked the silent streets of New Orleans, the lights in the trees matching the shining stars in the sky. The streets were unusually empty, but that was exactly how she wanted it. She headed to her favorite bridge, one over a stream near the bayou. The water sparkled under her, the humid air hanging around her body.

Naveen had married Charlotte a year ago. They had moved out of the city to Maldonia, Tiana assumed to get away from her. She would understand if Lottie didn't want her around; it was quite clear that there might have been some emotional baggage between them. If there wasn't, she would be home at her restaurant instead of here at this bridge, imagining his smiling face, imagining his smooth, velvety voice talking to her. Imagining him.

_Without him I feel his arms around me and when I lose my way I close my eyes and he has found me._

She closed her eyes, dreaming of his warm arms around her. Though she had never felt his human arms, but she had his frog ones, and they were good enough. She sighed, her heart resting for the first time in a while. Distant croaks of her now favorite animal sounded in the distance, and she giggled to herself. She imagined him teaching her how to dance, his hand in hers, twirling her, holding her. How she wished she could go back in time to that night. She wished it more than anything.

_In the rain the pavement shines like silver, all the lights are misty in the river  
In the darkness the trees are full of starlight...and all I see is him and me forever and forever._

She opened her eyes again, the stars and lights of the trees shining beautifully around her. Her evening star shone, its light the brightest thing up there…and yet, it didn't seem right. It seemed almost…mocking, as if to say "Well? Didn't you get what you had asked for?"

_And I know it's only in my mind, that I'm talking to myself and not to him.  
And although I know that he is blind, still I say there's a way for us._

She had to admit, sometimes she dreamed of him coming back for her, taking her up in his real, human arms, kissing her…sometimes she would even wait by her window, hoping, praying, that he would be walking up her front walk, but no. Everyday her heart is broken one more time.

Besides, she could never hurt Charlotte like that. Lottie was near obsessed with the man; besides, she's the only reason Tiana has her restaurant. She could only blame herself. Naveen married Lottie to help her, and she was too stupid to stop him.

_I love him, but when the night is over, he is gone; the river's just a river.  
Without him the world around me changes; the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers._

Tiana glanced up, seeing that the very bottom of the sky seemed about to light up. Immediately, she began to panic. She wanted to stay out here with him forever, even if all she had was her imagination. Daytime was too full of real people to have him keeping her company. Still, she calmed herself, telling her herself to simply remember the restaurant, remember the restaurant…

Oh, damn that building! If it weren't for that restaurant she would have him! They would be frogs, sure, but they would be together.

But how could she turn her back on her father like this? This restaurant was his dream…

_I love him, but every day I'm learning, all my life I've only been pretending_.

A dream that lost her everything she needed. As the sun poked more over the trees, silent, soft tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Collect yourself, Tiana…" She whispered. But what use was it? Her life would never be complete again. And it was all her fault. She comes out here as much as she can, only to learn one more time that one stupid fact.

_Without me his world would go on turning, a world that's full of happiness that I have never known._

He got what he wanted. He had his money, and now he could live like he always wanted too. She doubted he would stoop down to the level she did, talking to "him" in the middle of the night, dreaming of him coming back for her…he was probably doing just fine.

_I love him..._

She dried her last tear, standing up strait. She was not a flimsy romantic bent on her prince coming for her. She needed some dignity.

_I love him..._

Still, underneath that mask of dignity, she couldn't help but know she would never get over him.

_I love him, but only on my own._

And little did she know, miles and miles away, he was thinking the exact same thing.


End file.
